Friendship is one of the most desirable aspects of life since it allows us to interact with people that share the same interests and have a fun time. Without friendship, people would not be enjoying life and be setting in a corner with a feeling of boredom. In addition, having many friends can increase the chances of getting a job depending on how good your friends are.

K-ON is probably one of those shows that most people wouldn’t know about the friendship theme because of its reputation of being a girls doing cute things kind of show. If you look deeper in the activities and the songs they do, you realize that they are enjoying themselves because of their strong relationship between them. That feeling of friendship is what brought some of the nostalgia explained more in the last editorial when I looked back in my high school years.

Fanart used in this post is made by n@tu

In the beginning of last season, the girls barely knew each other with Yui undecided on what club activities she should do and Tsumugi having her decision set on the chorus club. That changed when Ritsu and Mio decides on saving the Light Music Club by dragging Tsumugi and then Yui into the club. The beginnings of the club start a long and strong friendship between the girls when they start practicing, eating cake and sweets and even having fun at the beach.

When Azusa decided to join the club, she felt uneasy by the slacking off and cake eating the girls was doing. Then again, she doesn’t realize that club activities not all about practicing, its about enjoying the moment. She eventually loosens up in the second beach trip where they have fun playing with a beach ball, making sand castles, or even taking a soak in a hot springs. In the end, Azusa finally loosens up and had fun with the other girls.

In the second season, friendships are explored more in depth. In the field trip to Kyoto (K-ON!! Episode 4), the four girls seems to be having fun with Ritsu and Yui violently petting the cow statue, running in the shrine and hanging messages, having pillow fights and getting lost. These are the some of the fun things they did on the field trip, typical if you went on a class trip to somewhere with some of your friends.

In addition to exploring the friendship of the four girls, they also focus on the juniors (Azusa, Ui and Jun) in Episodes 5 and 13. The girls had their own fun by doing activities playing instruments, going to a water park, batting cage and a sleep over. It was nice to learn more about the three girls’ friendship after all the focus was on the four girls. Even so, Azusa feels so attached to the four girls that she starts daydreaming about them in Episode 13. It happens when you don’t keep in touch with them for a while. However, most people rarely encounters this because the popularity of Social Networks and cell phones.

In the latter part of the season where it becomes the most touching. The senior class had a play on Romeo and Juliet and the After School Tea Time performance. Even though it was uncomfortable for Ritsu and Mio to get down their mismatched roles, they practiced with each other. When they start their performance, they made a really enjoyable and good performance for everyone to remember.

Following a day after the play, it was the After School Tea Time Performance. The performance was their best and was the most emotional. The fans and students at the concert were cheering on wearing the same T-Shirts as the light music club and they were enjoying every minute of it. The girls also had fun pulling jokes, thanking people and playing music, it was simply the best moment in the whole season.

In the end, friendships are not perpetual and they eventually end when they go their separate paths. Even so, people will always remember the fun memories they had together and never let go of it. Despite that, it’s not likely we will see an emotional end since the four girls decided on going to the same college. Azusa in the end is probably going to feel emotional once they go off to college and she is left alone. In the end, it’s not lost as long she maintains contact and visits them sometime.

Apart from the slice of life story, some of the songs in K-ON have elements of friendship inside its meaning such as:

• Fuwa Fuwa Time – Having a fun time after hard work without any fear.
• Fude Pen ~Ballpoint Pen~ – Yui overcoming her challenges to become her best. (Sung by Mio while Yui gets her guitar at home.)
• Pure Pure Heart – Self Explanatory
• U&I – Mainly dedicated to Yui’s sister, Ui.

Conclusion

The friendship in K-ON was pretty realistic and it’s a good representation of a strong friendship. It showed the joys of having one by having fun while not getting to the nasty side of friendships like fighting with each other, drugs, and cheating. While K-ON had some music, the slice of life moments with the girls having fun was far more important for the story. Despite the criticism from some critics over the focus on cake eating and tea drinking, there is no doubt that the show kept to the friendship theme seeing that its once of the most beautiful things in life. Without it, K-ON would be a very dull show without any life.

So, in my closing remarks… K-ON is probably the most touching show from what I have seen and I wouldn’t be surprised if future slice of life shows take some elements of friendship used in K-ON and put them to use in their original works. Heck, any slice of life show has elements of friendship… its just that K-ON took it a step beyond other shows would take it.

I always wanted to hug Azusa like that!

As the four girls’ high school year come to an end for good, they must overcome the second to last thing before graduation… Taking yearbook pictures! I remembered this time 2-3 years ago when I had to take senior portraits and it turned out to be pretty good. Yui on the other hand… Thats another story.

Yui is having hairstyle panic!

It’s not too surprising that some girls would be in panic about their appearance, especially the hair! Yui seems to have hair angst because of her dissatisfaction of the last few yearbook picture she taken in the past. There is no wonder Yui and Ui were playing around with hair styles… because they can! Not to mention, Ui had her hair like Yui’s from the last episode of K-ON!

I was told there would be cake... and there is!

The way Azusa was panicked over the Light Music Club being disbanded and the reaction from the four girls were hilarious. It happens when we overreact too much.

Remember people, do not try this at home!

Let the professionals style your hair for you… because one wrong move and you are screwed for awhile. Unfortunately for Yui, she went a bit too overboard and accidentally cut most of her bangs off. To prevent her from being upset, the other girls complement her and also butter her up with sweets. However, it didn’t turn out well the day of yearbook pictures… or is it?

Yui's Yearbook Picture

Actually, it didn’t turn out bad as she feared at first. Not so surprisingly, the other yearbook pictures look almost the same. It happened to me since I hardly change my hairstyle over the years. Like with Yui, I don’t want my whole forehead showing.

Lastly, Mio’s, Yui’s and Ritsu’s college decision caught me a bit off guard. Mio rejects her application at the last minute. Afterwards, all three of the girls decides to go for the all-girls college Mugi is planning to go. I guess friendship is so strong that they want to learn together like they did in high school. On the other hand, the decision they made reduced the melodrama’s impact once they graduate from High School. At least they don’t have to go through the heartbreak when they go to their separate paths.

Next Episode: Holy crap! Yui’s bangs that she accidentally cut off grew back. In addition, the season turned to winter rather quickly and they need to study for those entrance exams so that they will get accepted in their college of choice.

Verdict

8.9/10

Every young girl's dream is described in this picture!

Given that Yukimura lost the Footman Competition because of his lack of manliness, now his younger sister is now doubting his manliness with her preference for Usui as her Prince. This sounds so wrong in many levels. This date reminded me of Mei going out on a date with Tomoya to piss off her older brother. The only difference is that Usui didn’t go overboard by having Ruri call him “onii-chan.” If they did, Misaki would be angry at him for life for being a lolicon and his perversion.

Oh sh*t... He already started!

I’m not sure why Yukimura had the idea of making Usui the Prince to make Ruri happy… It’s not going to improve Yukimura’s image whatsoever and just making Ruri happy with Usui. From that realization, Yukimura and Company have to do something to stop Ruri from being too close with Usui.

Oh boy, the scripted plan again.

From that realization, Aoi-chan decides to have Kanou beat up Usui mobster style, but it didn’t turn out well. So, against Misaki’s will, Aoi dresses her up in a fancy outfit that she regret the most and have her accuse Usui of cheating. Ironically, it not going to go well since Ruri finds out that Yukimura and company were spying on her and ruining her princess date. She runs into the cafe saying that she “hates” her brother and cause the China cabinet to fall. Fortunately, Usui, Misaki saves the day while Yukimura protects Ruri from the plates. In the end, it gives us a very heartwarming ending with his sister gaining respect for him once again.

The second part consists of Aoi-chan trying to make a PV and getting the idiot trio and Kanou and Yukimura to help him (or her). I have to admit, Aoi-chan was acting like a spoiled brat in the recording. So much that I wanted to go berserk… but I didn’t.

In the end, Episode 20 was a mixed bag. It was nice to see Yukimura’s little sister since she is really cute and his quest to prove his manliness to his sister even though she was a little spoiled. On the other hand, the second part was fillerish and it contributed nothing to the plot. However, it was still enjoyable to watch Aoi-chan going apesh*t over everything. Overall, it was an okay episode, but it could have been better… like the next episode with the transfer student.

Talking about the transfer student, Misaki is going to have a fun time with that one…

Verdict

8.0/10

Fall 2010 Season unlike Winter, Spring and Summer seasons is very lackluster. The lack of comedy/drama/slice of life Anime pretty much turned me off for the season. Then again, I may be wrong if I manage to pick something up this season as it goes on. Therefore, there is always the currently airing shows from Spring/Summer to finish and the backlog.

• Kaichou wa Maid-sama! (4 Episodes left, ends late September)
• K-ON!! (4 Episodes Left, ends late September)
• Seitokai Yakuindomo (Backlogged, 7 Episodes behind)
• Amagami SS (Ongoing)
• Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi (Planned and Backlogged. Will start after Maid-sama and K-ON!! is finished)

Fall 2010 Season

• Yosuga no Sora

Compared to last fall season, I was able to pick up two Anime titles (Kobato and Seitokai no Ichizon) to cover and they turn out to be good. This season, its filled with hot blooded shouen anime that I have no interest in or rather make me yawn real loud. Anyway, if you really want to see a list of Fall 2010 anime, head over to The Cart Driver or on Melative (incomplete at the moment).

Now for some site and personal stuff:

• I will be working on a new banner for the Fall season with the remaining Summer Vacation I have left. I expect to have this up in two days. No need to worry, it’s going to look great. (Update: New Banner is now up!)
• The fall semester has a moderate workload, so I will be able to update the blog at least 5 times a week.  For those who want to know when I am free, the schedule can be viewed here.
• For those who wish to write a Guest Editorial for Fall 2010 season, the criteria is listed here.

This is pretty much what I have to say on the Fall 2010 season and plans… I wish everyone will do well in school or the Fall Semester (if you are still in college) and hopefully enjoy the fall season.

Note: Fanart used in this post is made by 華々＠ツイッターに挑戦中。

Sae is afraid of cute little puppies.

It’s a new arc and a new girl. That means that Junchi is companionless, for now…until he ran into Nakata Sae during the summer of course! She just transferred from another school and is in Miya’s freshman class. She is really cute, except that she is super timid as you see later.

There is my purse!

Poor Junchi, he kind of lost his pink purse and couldn’t buy lunch. Don’t you hate it when you leave your wallet at home or dropped it and have no way to pay for you food? Fortunately, this really timid girl found it for him, but by the time he got back, all but one bread was gone.

Nakata Sae is very timid and well endowed girl. It kind of reminds me of Asahina Mikuru from Suzumiya Haruhi, especially when Junchi imagines his younger sister groping Sae’s breasts because of how soft and big they are… Perverted Miya or rather, perverted Junchi.

It's just a puppy. It's not going to hurt you!

On top of her timid personality, Sae seems to have a fear for cute puppies. I don’t know why, but its very unusual as most people love cute little things. Then again, untrained dogs can be a bit scary especially if they attack.

I don't think this is good...

Sae seems to have an urge to work at the same cafe as Kaoru. The problem is that the job requires one to interact with customers, which she isn’t good at. Its understandable that most timid people will feel uncomfortable when it comes to interacting with people. In the end, they eventually need to overcome it by socializing more so they can do their job effectively. To help her, Junchi takes her home and decides to be the instructor to help her get through the interview. It ultimately leads to hilarious results such as Sae accidentally dropping a cup of coffee on Junchi’s crouch! Miya wasn’t amazed when she saw him stripping his pants off in front of Sae.

It seems that Junchi and Sae are enjoying this...

Most people expected that Sae’s arc will be disappointing since it featured a twin tailed, timid girl. However, it was quite the since opposite mainly because Miya has a bigger role in Sae’s arc. That means, you can enjoy more of her big brother complex over perverted stuff. Most will consider it Miya’s arc because of her important supporting role when its focuses on Sae herself.

You might be wondering, what happens next from there? Perhaps some intensive training to make her less timid and prepared for her interview? Even so, its going to be a wild ride.

Verdict

8.3/10

Takatoshi is going to have a rough time with this...

I thought there is already a show with a Student Council filled with girls with one male character? In a sense, yes… but that one had a ton of Anime and Otaku references. As you noticed, Seitokai Yakuindomo is completely different since all the girls are rather perverted. ironically, the male character seems to be the only sane person in the school.

This is a two episode taste test. This is the overall impressions I have for this series over the two episodes. The third episode will ultimately decide if I should continue the series or drop it.

It is popular belief that males are more perverted than females as seen in Amagami SS. Miya goes after Junchi over his questionable activities. Ironically, the females in the whole school talking about things like sanitary tissues, sadomasochism, private parts, eroge… you name it! The things that came out of their mouths is rather funny?

As for the Student Council, it consists of three girls:

• Shino Amakusa – A outgoing, pretty President who haven’t grown out of puberty yet.
• Aria Shichijou – An oujo Secretary that also likes talking about sexual things like Shino.
• Suzu Hagimura – A tsundere, insanely intelligent Treasurer who looks like a child… Also, she bites!

The whole premise of the story is that Takatoshi, a teenage boy whose completely uninterested in sex transfers into this previously all-female school. After coming to the school for the first time, he finds out that the girls in the school act very strangely. Then, Shino from the student council drags him into Student Council as Vice President to help them on the male related issues since the school became co-ed. From there, this basically starts a school life of hell for Takatoshi.

The mature content of the show is the typical perverted stuff seen with males with some female related stuff. The mature content is what basically drives the humor of the show. It is done without throwing tons of ecchi or getting down and dirty.

In the end, I enjoyed Seitokai Yakuindomo and I regretted that I haven’t picked this up earlier. This is because all the summer anime started airing while I was on vacation and had limited internet access. That’s saying, Takatoshi is going to have a good time with the girls saying perverted things and feeling masochistic by their sadomasochism.

It ended just like that...

Surprisingly, time goes by very quickly when you are having fun with friends. After all, four of the girls are seniors and they had to perform their greatest to make the memory last forever. From the three festival performances, this is probably the best out of three and was pretty heartwarming. Some observations:

• Sawako worked overnight to get the HTT t-shirts out to everyone. That is pretty nice.
• The audience seems to be excited.
• The first song was very light-hearted, but the last one seems to be heartwarming.
• And of course, we got some stage comedy that took a chunk out of the time including Mio and Ritsu reciting lines from the play.

The sad realization is that it’s their last year they would be performing in front of the crowd. We know that good things have to come to the end, but never let go of the fond memories they had with each other. As we let the festival go away in the sunset, we should realize that K-ON is not all about girls doing cute things or eating cake and drinking tea. Its all about friendships, which is one of the simple things in life. Most people might have even gone through this feeling after graduating from High School or College and leaving old friends behind. In the end, as the girls did in this episode, we should remember the times we had fun with our old friends and never let them fade away…

Next Episode: Time for the Yearbook pictures!

Rating

9.5/10

Note: Fanart used in this post is made by さとPON

Kanon

Even though One is technically Key’s first Visual Novel production, Kanon is the first under the Key/VisualArts name. Kanon is a winter theme story, thus most of the songs are styled to capture the winter theme. This is also the first time for most Key fans hear Jun Maeda’s and Shinji Orito’s emotionally striking songs… From all the songs in the whole OST, the following strikes me the most:

Pure snows

Pure snows are one of those songs that capture the winter theme perfectly. The feelling of this song gives some kind of mysterious feel to it. The same feeling is used similarly in Shoujo no Ori (Girl’s Prison) composed by OdiakeS. However, the song used strings instead of pianos and other instruments.

Yuki no Shoujo

Cannot forget the other upbeat wintery themes and the one that stood out the most is Yuki no Shoujo (Girls in the Snow) not because the story is about “Sad Girls in Snow,” but happy girls in the snow. In addition, I cannot deny the fact that Nayuki loves winter and the snow.

Other characters themes follow the upbeat style such as Hidamari no Machi (A Sunny City, an upbeat remix of Yakusoku (Promise)), The Fox and the Grapes and Egao no Mukōgawa ni (Beyond the Smile).

Fuyu no Hanabi

This theme is mainly used in flashback scenes involving Yuuichi. The feeling of the song gives a feeling of nostalgia and a sense that something like this happened before. Because of the feeling that the songs express, it makes the flashbacks feel warm and unforgettable.

Toudo Kougen and Kaze wo Matta Hi

Basically, these themes are primarily used when there is tragedy or sadness. Toudo Kougen conveys the feeling of mostly despair and hopelessness. However, Kaze wo Matta Hi is also emotional with a feeling of hope at the end of the tunnel. Basically, Shinji Orito pretty much takes the same feeling of these themes with Sōsei and Futari in Air and Yuki Nohara and Shionari in Clannad. Sonzai would technically count since it has a similar feeling, but not composed by Shinji Orito.

Umaretate no Kaze

Lastly, Umaretate no Kaze (A Newborn Wind) is the end of the dramatic story with renewed hope as a result of the miracle. As the title suggests, the song plays during spring after all the hardships from winter is over. Lastly, this song is loosely based on Kaze no Tadori Tsuku Basho (Where the Wind Reaches), an upbeat ending song.

Air

Unlike Kanon, Air’s music besides being summer themes has an ethnic feel to it, especially when you get to the music played in the Summer Arc. The summer feeling of the songs makes it one of the most enjoyable listens compared to Kanon and Clannad…

Natsukage

We know there is a lyric version made by Jun Maeda and sung by Lia, but the original song sound just as amazing, or even better without lyrics… Don’t get me wrong, the one with the lyrics sounds good too.

Niji

It’s a very upbeat and a nice listen. The song kind of reminds me the bubbles Michiru were trying to blow.

Hanemizu

This song obviously had a summer feel to it and you wish you were at a pool or water park… hehe… On top of that, Mizutamari, a calm theme goes along with the previous song.

Enishi/Semigoromo/Kannagi/Tsukiwarawa

The following selection is played during the Summer Arc that happened 1000 years earlier in Ancient Japan. Because of the time period, the songs had to have an ethnic feel. As a result, the four songs have a different style compared to the earlier songs and it conveys the feeling really good while keeping the summer feeling.

Other Thoughts

Air Orginal Soundtrack also features some emotional tracks like with Kanon, which had Mukai, Tōdo Kōgen and Kaze o Matta Hi. Air has Sōsei and Futari… although I could be missing some of them.

Hane is a music box version of Tori no Uta… similar fashion to Angel Beats, My Heart.

Lastly, we cannot forget about Tori no Uta, which was the first time we heard Lia’s beautiful vocals. After her debut, she is also featured in other songs and pieces in Clannad (and Clannad After Story adaptation), Tomoyo After and other works outside Key.

Clannad

Compared to Air, Clannad has a bigger selection of music considering how long the story is. The soundtrack features a lot of slice of life songs that flow well with the story. There were a few songs that I liked out of the whole soundtrack.

Sore wa Kaze no Yōni

This is one of my favorite character’s songs out of the whole selection. The song is very upbeat and fits Kyou’s rather spunky and tsunderish attitude.

In addition, Hārī Sutāfisshu is a very fun, playful and enjoyable track to listen to… It made me thought about starfish, Fuuko’s favorite.

Onaji Takami e/Negai ga Kanau Basho

It’s very interesting that both of these songs have versions with vocals, both done by Jun Maeda. However, the original versions are pretty emotional as well. Onaji Takami e gives the feeling of melancholy with a sense of a brighter future at the end of the tunnel. Negai ga Kanau Basho has a similar feel with the feeling of nostalgia with a sense of hope. There are two versions of the song with the last one being more dramatic.

If you heard Toki wo Kizamu Uta, Onaji Takami e has a similar melody. In contrast, Toki wo Kizamu Uta felt more melancholic and emotional compared to the original song.

Other Thoughts

In the After Story arc, we are given Shirotsumekusa and Natsu Jikan, which are pretty calm, peaceful and ambient music. They are a bit different from the earlier background music in the school arc.

Lastly, Nagisa is the last important theme that plays throughout her story. The song starts off with a simple melody and then gets stronger. Most know that Nagisa has an unknown illness that makes her sick, but with the help of Tomoya and others, she becomes stronger and able to achieve her goals. Like with Negai ga Kanau Basho, there are two versions of the song, the latter being played at the end of After Story when Nagisa successfully gives birth to Ushio without any complications.

Conclusion

From listening to all three original soundtracks, it is obvious that they did a pretty good job in sticking to the theme the story had and gave an emotional impact when it was needed. Even though there are a lot of songs I did not really comment on since it would make the post too long to read, there is no doubt that the soundtrack from all three visual novels turned out to be outstanding. The Air soundtrack was the best out of the three mainly because the way they used the music to convey the summer theme and the ancient times. Clannad also had a great selection of music, most of them I enjoy listening to while playing the visual novel and outside. Lastly, Kanon’s music was outstanding except that it suffers from a lack of variety that Air and Clannad had.

Compared to the three with Angel Beats Original Soundtrack, the feeling is completely different. Most of the songs in the three visual novels mostly used Piano, string and acoustic instruments and they did not go overboard with synth. On the other hand besides a few exceptions, Angel Beats reliance on synth makes it feel like a role-playing game, not a visual novel as I said in my final thoughts of the Angel Beats Original Soundtrack.

If you had the opportunity to get a hand on these soundtracks and have watched/played Air/Kanon/Clannad, give them a listen. You won’t regret it.

They live happily ever after...

Almost a month later, another arc is finished with some triumph. Kaoru’s arc compared to Haruka’s arc felt more realistic and natural. However, it still suffers the same issues of pacing. The question remains, how well Kaoru’s arc held up in Anime form?

Kaoru’s arc was a bit more enjoyable to watch. In her arc, Junchi does not seem to be emo and stay in the closet with highlighted stars. Since Kaoru and Junchi already friends, it wasn’t hard for them to get into a healthy relationship. On top of their friendship, Junchi tends to look in areas that he shouldn’t like down someone’s blouse, panties, ryouki zettai, butts… you name it! Because of the increased perversion, Junchi’s younger sister, Miya always scolds him for his sick thoughts. It results in entertaining reactions from Miya.

As shown in the last arc, Junchi gets to kiss Kaoru in the belly button, an area that seems to be disgusting. However, it was more entertaining to watch compared to the puppy lick kissing shown in Haruka’s arc. Even Miya looked at Junchi’s sick kissing and ultimately calls him a “perverted bellybutton licker.”

Kaoru was a more believable character compared to Haruka. Kaoru, with natural tomboy does some risky things without being afraid. This was demonstrated when she had Junchi lift her up so she can get the shuttlecock (or birdie) from the tree. Also, we cannot forget the ear-biting scene in Episode 5.

Unlike the previous arc, Kaoru’s arc had some drama with her family. In the family drama, Kaoru ends up getting into an argument with her mom dating another man. This causes Junchi to worry about her sudden disappearance from school. In the end, the disagreement with her mother was resolved in hours. Even though the family feud was solved in a few hours, it’s true that family members get into disagreements sometimes, but they will eventually make up and get over it. It simply depends on the relationship between the said family members. By looking how fast they resolved their feud, it seemed that Kaoru has a strong relationship with her mother.

The Christmas Eve date between Kaoru and Junchi was nothing out of the ordinary. Kaoru takes Junchi to the observation tower where they hold hands and kissed. Kaoru sleeps over at Junchi’s since she missed the last buss. Kaoru kisses him once more in bed. After kissing, she fell asleep with her lips locked onto Junchi’s. It makes me wonder, how could they breathe while Kaoru locked on Junchi’s lips for so long?

However, there was a small disappointment with the last episode of Kaoru’s arc. Unlike Haruka’s arc that showed an epilogue, Kaoru’s arc did not had any nor it show what happened to her mother and the man she is going out with. I guess they simply don’t have enough time to fit that into her arc.

In conclusion, Kaoru’s arc was better than Haruka’s arc simply because there was no indecisiveness and their relationship was more pure. Haruka on the other hand will never reach the same level as Kaoru since she is too demanding. Nuff said…

Next on the spotlight is Nakata Sae, this twin tailed, shy junior girl. She doesn’t seem that interesting, but hey… I could be wrong.

Verdict

8.4/10, B

What exactly makes an Anime be considered in the Slice of Life genre? There has been talk about it around the blogosphere on the true definition of the Slice of Life genre (Midnight Equinox provides a whole lowdown of bloggers who provided their views on the Slice of Life genre). Like I said in my slightly trollish response, it’s actually complicated. There is a reason why explaining the genre complicated. People have different views on what qualities in the show they would consider as Slice of Life. However, I’m going to share my views on what qualities that would be in the Slice of Life genre.

What is a Slice of Life story?

Before diving in to the gritty details, what is Slice of Life? The dictionary defines it as:

A realistic representation of everyday experience in a movie, play, or book.

Wikipedia defines it a bit further as a:

Slice of Life story portrays a “cut-out” sequence of events in a character’s life. It may or may not contain any plot progress and little character development, and often has no exposition, conflict, or dénouement, with an open ending. It usually tries to depict the everyday life of ordinary people, sometimes but rarely, with fantasy or science fiction elements involved.

It seems simple enough… so, every title out there would be considered a slice of life Anime? That is going too broad. Slice of life stories tend to be very realistic and be related to life and doesn’t contain too much out of the ordinary. The story of this style has to be able to relatable in real life. Therefore, you cannot have shouen fighting scenes, magical girls fighting big monsters or robots fighting each other. If that happened, it wouldn’t be considered a slice of life story since it would not be realistic. However, Slice of Life can contain supernatural or science fiction elements (such as miracles, acts of nature, etc.) as long it feels real or surreal.

Slice of Life as a Genre

Slice of Life is a genre that never stands alone. Slice of Life is a Meta genre that has different genres that support it. The most commonly used genres that associate with the Slice of Life genre are comedy, drama, romance and mystery. A list below shows an example of Anime titles that are in the Slice of Life genre, but have other genres that support it.

• Amagami SS (Romance, Drama, Comedy)
• Angel Beats (Action, Comedy, Drama)
• Aria (Drama, Science Fiction)
• Clannad (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Supernatural)
• Hayate no Gotoku (Action, Comedy, Romance)
• Kaichou wa Maid-sama! (Romance, Shoujo, Drama, Comedy)
• Kanon (Supernatural, Comedy, Drama, Romance)
• Lucky Star (Comedy)
• K-ON! (Comedy, Music)
• Suzumiya Haruhi (Science Fiction, Comedy, Drama, Mystery)

How one defines a show as a Slice of Life story?

As in life, Slice of Life is also inconsistent and development grows slowly compared to regular stories. This is because we do a lot in life such as socializing with people, doing basic needs and other stuff. Character Development is slow since in real life, getting to know a new person takes time. As the title implies, “slice” implies the certain moments in life and does not cover every moment in life. Therefore, you only getting a small picture of someone’s life, but enough to make it feel like you are looking through the character’s life.

How Slice of Life is implemented in Different Mediums?

Although the concept of Slice of Life is the same through the different mediums, they are implemented differently. The ones I will focus are Visual Novels, Anime and Manga.

Visual Novel

Example of Slice of Life in a very famous Visual Novel

Every visual novel out there can be considered in as a Slice of Life since they are mostly split up in days. Notice the day shown on the title bar of the visual novel. Each day is considered a slice of a story and shares a set of events that happens throughout that day. Since the plot is split up in days, plot and character develops as the days goes on consistently.

Also, the choices one makes also affects the development of the story. Because the selections and the story’s format, the visual novel makes the player feel that they are in the main character’s shoes and experiencing every event he/she encounters with different outcomes.

Anime

Since Anime has a set amount of episodes, development of the story can be either consistent or inconsistent. Unlike the visual novel, Slice of Life in Anime only focuses on a certain aspect in the character’s life. For example, in K-ON!! Episode 18, the primarily focus was the school play and the sleepover. Azusa and her classmates focus on the festival activity and see the play. Meanwhile, Mio, Ritsu and Yui get ready for the performance and so on.

Episodes in Slice of Life anime most of the time are fragmented. You will notice that each episode focuses on a different aspect of life. For example, in Lucky Star, each episode is independent of each other and does not mention the previous developments in the last episode.

However, there are some instances that some episodes are continuous depending on the development. For example, Episodes 18 and 19 of K-ON were continuous with each other since it focused on the girls’ preparation on the school play. The continuity in Slice of Life Anime will ultimately depend on the source material itself.

Manga

Although I haven’t read any Manga in the Slice of Life genre, the one I saw frequently is 4Koma. 4Koma always use the Slice of Life storytelling because the 4-panel strip comic only focuses on one situation. 4Koma that eventually gets adapted into Anime will have filter content placed with the original source material to make the show flow better. Compared to Anime and visual novels, 4Koma have very little plot and character development due to the length.

Lastly, Slice of Life ≠ Moe

There is a big misconception out there that Slice of Life shows automatically means girls doing “cute” stuff or characters doing absolutely nothing. The main reason Slice of Life gained this misconception because shows like Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star and K-ON that are considered to be in the Slice of Life genre had a good amount of “moe.” Since Slice of Life became associated with moe because of the popularity of the mentioned shows, it got a bad reputation among moe haters. In reality, Slice of Life is rarely about moe girls and is more of a story format.

Conclusion

In the end, explaining what makes a show a “pure” Slice of Life is complicated since there is no firm definition. However, I feel that Slice of Life is just a Meta genre that has different genres that helps build the story. On top of that, different mediums implement the Slice of Life story telling differently that there is no unified way of implementing it. The fact remains… Slice of Life has the same qualities of real life, inconsistencies and slow development. It’s something that one should enjoy slowly without worrying about where the plot is going, as in let the story take its course and just enjoy what it has to offer.

If you excuse me, I’m going to eat this slice of yummy strawberry cake.

Attribution Information

Fanart used in this post is made by 美樹めぐり

So, perverts come from Phermone? I didn't know that!

From a continuation from last episode, Misaki-kun and Usui become partners in beating the so called Footman contest… The question is… how well they do?

Their table preparation have done pretty well, which gave other people talking about the whole thing. That is expected from Usui and Misaki-kun. This gives them the last audition with the vice president as the customer.

This doesn't look good...

Its never the first time Usui saved Misaki from the tightest situations such as jumping off a building to get a secret picture, stopping Igarashi attempted rape or even cushioned Misaki from hitting her head on the volleyball net pole. No kindhearted boy will ever take a fall that if the girl treats them like crap. So, Misaki should be grateful for the blow Usui takes and shouldn’t treat him like crap 99% of the time. Then again, tsunderes always act like this.

After Usui took the hit, Misaki realizes that she has been treating Usui like trash and needs to set things right. She does this by doing all the physical work, but that didn’t caught on as well. The vice president forces him to do something and Usui plays violin for the whole time. Misaki feels more guilt in the building situation and couldn’t help the torture that the vice president was pushing on Usui. She finally tells Usui to stop and tells off the vice president… afterwards, the cafe was saved!

So yeah, Igarashi can go cry in the corner… Misaki owned him again… or did he?

I can call this progress!

Misaki visits Usui to nurse him back to health and plays with most of the tsundere tropes out there. First, Misaki horribly overcooked the rice pudding (at least she didn’t put in soap and other questionable ingredients).  Second, she feeds him and lastly, puts a towel on the head. I guess Misaki is still pretty tsundere when it comes to Usui, but I can’t say they aren’t coming closer… they are! Only time can tell until Misaki stop being so harsh on Usui and permanently be nice to him. It will probably happen in the last episode without any doubt.

What ever happened to Yukimura? He didn’t past the audition. Maybe because he is still too effeminate or something? Who knows…

Next Episode: More traps… more traps… and Yukimura.

Verdict

8.7/10

Azusa's spacing out...

The school festival for the girls have now arrived! How does Mio and Ritsu perform in their class play of Romeo and Juliet? We will find out soon enough.

She's still a bit nervous.

From the last episode, the cafe training for Mio didn’t do much to help her stage fright. However, when she performed, she did rather well.

A hug? I don't think this is right...

Jun: Where’s the kiss, dammit?

I might be wondering the same thing because the story called for a kiss, but there wasn’t any. Yuri fanraeg in 3…2…1…

Just kidding! Anyway, the play felt pretty nostalgic since I was forced to recite some lines in 9th grade English and I cannot forget those school plays.

Also, why the hell do we need human trees? It’s so redundant!

Thats not a tombstone, it's the Rosetta Stone!

Its kinda funny how they used it in the last few scenes of the play because someone decided to borrow the actual tombstone… for a food stand! Overall, the performance was entertaining, although without any bumps in the road.

What ever happened to the practicing? That what clouded Azusa’s mind all night. To relieve her worries, they stayed overnight. Also, they gave the Occult Club some food as repayment for borrowing their “Rosetta Stone.”

Do I sense some Yui and Azusa yuri?

I guess I can settle with that since there is no Ritsu and Mio kissing. Anyways, their sleepover was pretty enjoyable to see. It makes me wonder, how they will perform the next day after staying up so late?

I cannot forget that Yui almost kissed Azusa, but Azusa stops her before she made any contact.

I have finished!

Poor Sawako… she stayed up both nights trying to make the outfits for the play and the light music club… but she’s finish with this t-shirt of some kind… and yea, praise her for that. I guess we have to wait until the next episode airs to see what they look like and hear their new songs. I can’t wait!

Verdict

9/10

Notes

• This got to be the shortest K-ON!! reaction post I ever made…

Also, more moe~... the wave of the future...

I know I screwed up the posts, but that is least of my concerns since 99% of them are restored. If you noticed, I have done some changes to the blog itself and I want to explain why I did them. Here it goes!

New Domain Name

If you noticed that chikorita157.notcliche.com now redirects to chikorita157.com. That is because I bought a new domain name for the blog. The domain name will help give the blog even more exposure by dissociating the blog with NotCliche. However, they are still hosting us, it’s just that the name is no longer in the blog’s address.

Also, once I get Kronblr fixed, Kronblr will be accessible from kronblr.chikorita157.com and people can add me easily. Also, Kronblr will be easier to manage since I don’t have to fiddle with it for a directory installation.

Lastly, the domain name is highly portable. If I decide to host myself in the future when I get a job, I can just move my stuff on the new host and the existing URLs will still work.

New Mobile Site

This change happened back in June 2010 when I decided to pull the trigger and buy the Pro version of WPTouch. This version of WPTouch is different from the free version since it has more features such as threaded comments, advanced menu system, customization, WebApp mode, Retina Display support and other goodies. Since there are a good number of mobile users and I use the iPhone extensively, it will benefit the site more by using the Pro version.

Guest Editorials

This is something I haven’t done in the past, Guest Editorials. Since I’m going to be pretty busy during the fall and spring semesters, I won’t post as I normally do once summer ends. To fill the gap, I decided to allow other bloggers or members from Anime Forums like AnimeSuki to write Guest Editorials. Guest Editorials can be a review of a show I haven’t see (which pertains to the genres I cover in the blog), opinion piece on an Anime or related comment or the fandom/industry as a whole. Guest editorials must conform to the following:

• Must be grammar/spell checked before submission.
• Be at least 500 words or higher.
• Anime/Manga/Light Novel/Visual Novel related. (No trolling, please).
• Contributor cannot be anonymous. Contributor must be a member of an Anime Forum or have written for an Anime Blog.
• Content have to be suitable for a PG13 audience.

To send your submission, you can either send me a Private Message over AnimeSuki under chikorita157 or send me a email containing the post in rtf or doc format at chikorita157(at)thecolorless.net. When I receive the submission, I will review it before posting it. The submission will be identified as a Guest Editorial.

Anyway, that pretty much wrap up what changes I have done to the blog. If you have any suggestions, comment below.

Attribution Information

Fanart used in this post is made by 若葉猫

Someone get the defibrillator!

Nobody has stage fright as Mio does… She is scared out of her mind!

Then again, it could happen in real life. Performing in front of the stage or giving a speech is one of those tasks that most people fear the most. The perception that people have on performer is what drives us to nervousness. Stage fright is very hard to overcome for some people and I know that since I have been in this situation before when I had to perform in a school play (once), give voting speech when I try to run for student council and presenting in college. I guess if you present/perform a lot, I guess you can get over stage fright… but for some people, it takes more than just practice.

It can't be! She's in denial.

If you didn’t noticed before, it’s the Romeo and Juliet chapter of K-ON… or rather, the Romio and Jurietsu chapter. The funny thing is that Mio gets the Romeo role and Ritsu, the Juliet role. The roles are so incompatible that it’s not even funny since Ritsu is the tomboy and Mio is the girly girl. The flipped roles pretty much have them in an uncontrollable rage…

Also, Mugi is writing the script for the play and there is no doubt she won’t put some Yuri stuff in the script.

Mio’s denial in the scened picture above that she will be performing as Romeo was so funny and melodramatic that I laughed out of my seat. Of course, Ritsu dragging Mio by the collar pretty much topped the whole situation real good.

Ritsu now goes apesh*t over Shakespeare.

Some people just don’t like reading Shakespeare mainly because the difficulty of Shakespearian English. It also doesn’t help when the two girls are not comfortable with their roles, especially Mio.

Flipping the roles does the trick... or not.

Yui suggests that Ritsu trade places with Mio… and the end up like this. In the end, it didn’t turn out good when Ritsu goes apeshit again. They decide to practice and her brother found out that she is playing Juliet with the classic spitting out of the drink and laughing reaction.

Ironicly, they got their parts down when they practice with other and it goes well for Ritsu in the next practice session… Mio on the other hand, not so much.

Mio Meido Moe~ *nosebleeds*

Mugi finally decides they will do special training for Mio to get rid of her stage fright. They work for a day at a cafe at serving customers. Unfortunately, this makes Mio become extra nervous. When she was left alone to serve the customers, she became a total knockout.

In the end, the cafe training did absolutely nothing except gave Mio a perfect smile. However, we finally learn where Mugi gets the tea… and boy its freaking expensive stuff they are sipping! I wish I had that kind of tea!

Next episode is the performance and its probably going to give me flashbacks when I read Romeo and Juliet in 9th grade English… I wonder how it will play out with all the yuri Mugi stuffed in.

Verdict

9.0/10

Nii Nii is a Perverted Bellybutton Licker!

While Junchi had a good time kissing Kaoru in the belly button, Miya was spying on him as always… Since Miya is pissed off, Kaoru became a bit upset when she sees her mother going out with another person.

The puppy? Completely random, but cute!

Its very difficult for a child to go through a new parent after the loss through an unfortunate event or divorce. It’s mainly because the child doesn’t see him/her as part of the family. In this instance, Kaoru gets into a fight with her mom since she doesn’t want a new father. Her mom seems to be having all the fun while she does the hard work. This is a main reason why she was absent from school.

Families can sometimes get into disagreements and get angry over it, but they can’t stay mad forever since it will hurt the family. The reaction we get from her mother when she apologizes via phone is that she was furious at first, but laughing in the end. We know pretty well that they have a good relationship with each other by how quickly they resolved their conflict.

Junchi on the other hand seems to be concerned about her because she never shown up at school. When Junchi tries to find Kaoru, we are shown flashbacks of them having fun. Of course, Junchi, a pervert he is seems to look at areas that Kaoru doesn’t want him to see like down her blouse.

I know what you are up to!

However, the drama from Episode 7 was a bit rushed and lost its dramatic effect. The way Kaoru and her mother resolved their problems caused little emotional impact. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Junchi likes Kaoru after being friends for so long. This was evident when he worried about Kaoru after she didn’t attend school and gave her a box of white chocolate that she was talking about. There is no doubt that they make a fine couple… besides Haruka of course.

Nii Nii is daydreaming again.

Like the last arc, it is very evident that Miya does not want Junchi to go out with girls and look at perverted stuff. Then again, most male teenagers seems to have sick thoughts clouding their mind. From Miya’s behavior, she seems to have big brother complex for so long. So much, that she has a whole song about it… if you know what I mean. Eventually, she has to let him be so he can act on his own.

Next Episode: The Finale… at the same hotel?! I wonder what wild things Junchi will do to Kaoru.

Verdict

8.2/10

Luckily, Google Reader, the cache and Mac Journal have the posts back up. However, I felt that its just best to start over. Because of this preventable boo boo, I will have to rewrite some of the posts like Nanoha Ep6-7 post and the pages… but it’s no big deal since losing all the content will be even worse.

What I will try to do is restore all the posts from the Fall 2009 season to the present. I won’t be restoring any posts before then since they were junky anyways… In the future, I will have a better backup tool so that something like this will never happen.

She started as a fox... and... yeah.

Makoto’s arc was one of those arcs that I couldn’t watch in one sitting. The drama was so tense that I skipped her arc during my first time of watching the Kanon remake. Its not until the middle of July that I finished her arc off. After I wrote the whole review on the Kanon Anime, I decided to continue with the visual novel and finish Makoto’s arc. The feeling of the visual novel arc was just as emotional as the Anime adaption, but it was more spread out instead.

For those who watched the Anime, there was hardly any content that was left out so you don’t have to worry about spoilers.

Differences

Like with Mai’s arc, Makoto’s arc was pretty much the same in the Anime. Perhaps, this arc hardly has any changes whatsoever compared to Kotomi’s arc, which followed the majority of the content in the visual novel. There was some minor difference such as:

• When Makoto got a fever for the first time and afterwards, she could still talk until the day after Akiko, Nayuki and Yuuichi took Makoto out. Afterwards, she was incapable of communicating.
• The scenes in the visual novel towards the end was arranged differently compared to Episode 10. In the visual novel, the Minase family and Yuuichi takes Makoto out, then Amano becomes friends with Makoto and then Yuuichi takes Makoto to the hill for their final moments. This takes place in a matter of days.
• Epiloge is the same, except it takes place in spring.
• In the visual novel, Makoto says her name to Amano. In the Anime, she also tries to pronounce Yuuichi’s name as well.

General Thoughts

Makoto is one of those tsunderes that have a childish personality that melts as time goes on. Besides her tsundere personality, most wouldn’t notice that Makoto was a fox at first. However, the red/orange hair and the fangs are some of the qualities that hint her origins.

Makoto’s arc felt like a fairytale as Amano suggests while talking to Yuuichi. It felt that way since it felt so surreal when young boy who takes care of a young fox and abandon it until a few years later. The fox returns in human form without any memories to reunite with the same person that took care it. However, some fairy tales don’t have a happy ending. In this situation, the fox had to price to pay to gain human form, which we will talk about later.

I hardly see Amano smile like this in the whole Visual Novel...

Amano in Makoto’s arc serves as a guidance counselor for Yuuichi since she experienced what is happening to him now.  This is the main reason she didn’t want Yuuichi to bring her in because it would remind her of sad memories of a human fox friend that disappeared later. Eventually she gives in and becomes Makoto’s friend in the last minute as shown above. That scene simply let down manly tears down my cheeks as Makoto said her name to Amano.

Amano in the whole arc was rather stoic. Because of her loss of her fox friend, she can’t seem to find any happiness. The loss causes her to have hardly any friends and be a loner most of the time. Her feelings changed in the epilogue as she opens up and reveals herself of having a wild and girly imagination… I mean, who wants to dream about candy raining from the sky anyway?

The irony is that in the Kanon Minase-sanchi Radio Drama, Amano has a significantly different personality like she was in the epilogue. On top of that, she is now chasing after Yuuichi! Scary… (I will probably overview them in a future blog post).

Makoto's last wish...

In the end, miracles comes with big price and the person eventually needs to say goodbye to the fox in human form. Yuuichi belives that Makoto can get better onces pring comes. However, life does not work that way and things have to run their path. The deterioration of Makoto’s health and abilities made the whole arc feel so heartbreaking. Most of the viewers can’t help but feel sorry for her since nothing can be done to help her. Because of the period of intense sadness, this makes Makoto’s arc the most emotional arcs in the visual novel with Shiori’s being the second.

I had to admit Makoto’s arc was an emotional one and I teared a few times while playing it. Even though Yuuichi did not really kiss Makoto like he did with the other girls, she got married with him to make up for it. Besides the overwhelming drama, Makoto’s pranks on Yuuichi was hilarious, even though 99% of them backfired on her. As for the reason why she perform these pranks, she did them not because she was released in the wild three years ago, but to have fun and get attention from Yuuichi. Even though Makoto’s arc was not a happy ending, the epilogue pretty much make her story heartwarming, since we know that losing the person we love the most sucks a lot. However, we have to accept that face and never forget the good memories we spent with them.

So, if you decide to play Makoto’s arc, make sure you have a box of tissues because you will be crying… a lot (a bit of an exaggeration, but still).

Rating

9.2/10

Since zzeroparticle and ETERNAL reviewed the Original Soundtrack very nicely, I don’t feel the need to review the whole soundtrack over again. However, I do feel that I need to share my overall “too long, don’t read” thoughts about the whole soundtrack because it sounded so good.

I do have to admit, even though the plot of Angel Beats and Girl’s Dead Monster’s songs are a big mess, the Angel Beats Orginal Soundtrack does not disappoint. The big surprise that everyone doesn’t seem to notice is that the synth songs. Although they have the Jun Maeda style, they are actually composed and performed by a synth group called “ANANT-GARDE EYES.” Most of these synth songs primarily sound like video game music, primarily music from role playing games like Final Fantasy for example. The video game style music fits pretty well with the overall setting of Angel Beats since it’s a virtual reality purgitory afterall.

From the whole soundtrack, my heart, my most precious treasure, kanade, Ichiban no Takaramono (Orig. Version) and theme of SSS stands out the most. I will pretty much discuss the mentioned songs on why  they sound better than the other songs in the soundtrack and my overall thoughts about the soundtrack as a whole.

my most precious treasure and Ichiban no Takaramono (Orig. Version)

There is no doubt that this song strike the listener’s emotions. The overall feeling of my most precious treasure and Ichiban no Takaramono provided by the piano and string instruments makes it a beautiful song. The song starts off with melancholy and sadness to feeling of accepting the fate. I think this song have done its purpose very well.

As for Ichiban no Takaramono (Orig. Version) sung by karuta, it has the same feeling as my most precious treasure. Compared to Yui’s version of Ichiban no Takaramono sung by LiSA, karuta’s version was calmer and had emotion. Even though the lyrics are the same, Yui’s version just doesn’t have the same feeling because of the vocals just sound rough that pieces my ear. The obvious flaw of Yui’s version make it obvious that the original version of Ichiban no Takaramono sound 10x better.

kanade

Tenshi Kanade is always a kind and quiet girl that the SSS seems to bully for no good reason. The song, kanade fits her personality well with its calm and smoothing feeling. Played when Otonashi and Tenshi meet with each other.

my heart

“my heart” is a piano version of My Soul, Your Beats. The slowness of the song gives it a more emotional feeling compared to the original. The ballad version of My Soul, Your Beats sounded very nice. Even though Lia’s vocals were good in the original song, it was slightly messy.

This kinda reminds me, “To the Same Heights” got the same treatment when it was rearranged into what we know as Clannad’s After Story’s Opening Theme, “Toki wo Kizamu Uta”.

theme of SSS

Life is unfair? This theme pretty much conveys the whole message of the song with the chaos and the lack of satisfaction from the SSS members’ former life. The emotional feeling that ANANT-GARDE EYES’s created makes it feel so similar to Jun Maeda’s emotional songs that people could mistake the creator of the song.

Overall Thoughts

The battle themes in the soundtrack sound very familiar to a battle scene in a Japanese Roleplaying Game. They give a sense of conflict and such. Besides the battle themes, there are the slice of life and the character themes that go well with the story.

Not to mention, the soundtrack also contains Brave Song with the extended intro.

Compared to previous Key soundtracks I heard, Angel Beats soundtrack was a bit different out of the bunch. The visual novel soundtracks had a lot more feeling and emotions depending on the scene and suitable for use in Anime. Because of the setting of Angel Beats, there is no way to have visual novel style soundtracks because it wouldn’t work right. The video game synth style was the only way to go and it did pretty well.

Overall, the Angel Beats soundtrack impress me like the previous music I heard from Kanon, Air and Clannad. It was different, but it was an enjoyable two hour listen. By listening to the soundtrack, it can even melt away some of the bad feeling from the inconsistent storytelling. Definitely give this soundtrack a listen and you might get amazed by what you listen to.

Overall Score

9/10

Guess Who!

Remember Igarashi? He is that guy for whom Usui beaten up for nearly raping Misaki in Episode 8. He’s baaaaaaaack with vengeance! Basically, he wants to demolish the block of buildings that also include the Maid Cafe and build a fancy butler cafe to piss Misaki off. How does Misaki get back at this jerk? Why of course, participate in a Footman contest, but its for males only! Well, Misaki got a way.

Well of course... I never thought about that.

It’s not like they going to see through the Subaru’s and Misaki’s disguise. Just wait, there is a clothes changing event that causes Subaru and the other mysterious guy to be disqualified.

Who are these guys?

In addition to the pair, Soutarou, Yukimara, the Idiot Trio and two masked guys decide to join in too.

Well… Do you want to know who are under those masks? They’re coming…

I knew it...

Don’t say that Misaki is disqualified just yet… Misa-chan takes it to another level…

Yep, its pretty ambiguous. Have to say it's a guy.... but fooled me.

There are many situations that being a pettanko is never a good thing… It seems like tsunderes these days are primarily flat chest with a few exceptions. However, Misaki takes advantage of this and everyone actually believes it. This is probably the only situation that being a pettanko is a good thing, disguising as a male to get back at the jerkass Igarashi. So now, Usui and Misaki are the new pair for the remainder of the competition.

Overall, this was a pretty fun episode and Misaki was less tsun tsun towards Usui, especially when she is concentrating on that jerk. Surely, Igarashi will get his butt kicked again, but hey, he can screw the rules since he has money. Also it’s not a surprise for Yukimura to participate because lost his manliness from all the forced crossdressing. I wonder how the competition will play out in the end for him…

Lastly, Aoi-chan is still pretty gender-ambigulous even when he is dressed in a tuxedo… I mean, he still looks like a girl if you look at his face and hairstyle.

Verdict

9/10

I wished Mugi baked me a cake. :p

It seems the whole year since I post my first birthday post back in my first year of Anime Blog. Within a whole year, I have accomplished a lot in terms of blogging and participating in the Anime Blogosphere and it went by really quickly.

Anyway, my parents celebrated my birthday last Friday by taking me out for dinner and it was good. I have already gotten my present, which was an iPad a few months back, so yeah. The reason it was celebrated early since my mother went away today to California to attend classes for her job and wont be back until Friday of next week. Also, even if I am 21, I will never drink a drop of Alcohol because I do not want any diseases or cancer and my parents will kill me if I do so… so its better off without it.

Feel free to say Happy Birthday in this post… and I hope the future will bright in the coming months. ^^;

Attribution Information

The fanart used in this post is made by 榛名ヒスイ